There are two types of people in the world; those who can’t wait for Christmas and these who can’t wait for it to be over. Things are starting to feel festive already; the scent of mulled wine wafts out of pubs, high streets across the country are twinkling and it’s only going to get worse!
Before we launch full pelt into our Christmas carols and blogs about the best Christmas markets we thought it was only fair to give those who don’t like Christmas a chance to escape it all with the dealchecker guide to avoiding Christmas.
First the bad news: Turns out that all those hours ranting about the over commercialisation of Christmas had absolutely no effect – there is not a single country in the world that has not seized on Christmas’ commercial potential. The Japanese celebrate it as a novelty and Puerto Rico have their own unique take on Christmas with month-long colourful Navidad celebrations.
The best you can hope for is to find somewhere with minimal Christmas impact.
Your first port of call should be the non-Christian countries. Cuba used to be a safe haven, but four years ago the authorities reversed the ban on Christmas and today the festivities hit Havana hard. Still, if you head away from the biggest cities and tourist resorts you might manage to avoid Santa.
Maria la Gorda beach, Cuba
Image from anna 78
Strict Islamic countries like Iran and Libya have zero Christmas celebration, but they’re also not the most easily visited of destinations. We suggest Morocco would provide a more balanced holiday destination. Whilst it’s not completely devoid of Christmas, a wander through narrow Medina lanes lined with colourful souk market stalls is exotic enough to overlook any festive signs.
Djemaa el Fna in Marrakesh, Morocco
Image from Walter Rodriguez
Another good option is Sri Lanka. The mainly Sinhalese population aren’t overly bothered with our western Christmas celebrations yet, and December is one of the best times to visit.
Galle Beach, Sri Lanka
Image from hashmil
Your other tactic is to head to a remote a destination as possible and hope that Christmas hasn’t reached them yet. According to those who have tried it, New Ireland in Papua New Guinea is festivity free. You might want to try out other nearby islands like New Britain or even tiny Manus.
Rabaul in East New Britain, Papua New Guines
Image from Ian@thepaperboy.com
Finally, if it’s just Christmas Day itself you object to, then opt for a Christian Orthodox country like Russia, Greece or Syria.
Red Square in Moscow, Russia
Image from Argenberg
Their calendar is different from our and they celebrate Christmas on the 7th January. Plus they don’t get as involved in the run up to Christmas, so go away over the 25th December, come back before the 7th January and voila! It’s like Christmas never happened.
Top image from terren in Virginia
